Shires Multaddiv

Four-species stepped drum machine (ca. 1906)

Until today, very few facts have become known about the manufacturer of this machine. It is believed that the Shires Multaddiv Machine Company was located in the USA. However, this can only be inferred from the picture on the inside of the lid, which shows the US eagle with the national colors. The Vienna Official Gazette No. 12 of 1906 announces the registration of the Shires Multaddiv Company, trading in machinery and machine parts, under the heading "Firmen-Protokollierungen". G. Eduard Shires and Albert Max Wurfschmidt were registered as partners. The following can be stated about the machine: The mode of operation is the same as that of all other stepped drum machines in the wooden box. But different from the usual, the value setting is done by pulling out sliders from the front of the inner box. In order for this to succeed up to the number 9, the front face of the outer box must be folded down. Patent AT 38723 [1907] describes such a device for Hugo Harald Wurfschmidt of Vienna. The machine can be tilted to get a better view of the digit display. It is astonishing that all so far known examples of this construction have appeared in Europe. No machines have yet become known in the USA. Halkowich [1911] makes a connection to the "Exact" produced in Vienna (Fig. p. 477), which in turn is Burkhardt's Model D, existing only as an illustration (in Burkhardt's 1913 publication). There are still many unanswered questions about this machine.